I am proud to belong to Generation Y.
Many have said and many have written: Generation Y will live fast and die young; it’s competitive in every sense. Come on, I would say. I don’t even live that “fast.” I’m not even into competition with anyone except myself. I only love beating my scores, not others’.
I’d say I belong to the old-fashioned, green-minded, nerd-looking class of this generation. For all those I just described, cheers to us! Yes, it’s our damned eyeglasses that make us victims of stereotyping—the nerds. And no, I ain’t a nerd.
The mantra of our generation is living life to the fullest, life being too short to limit oneself. And the way I see them act it out is by doing dangerous stuff. Don’t overstate me. By “dangerous” I mean engaging in an unhealthy lifestyle, testing how life can be as close to death without crossing the thin line between the two.
If Generation Y lives this way, I’d say I’m one of the outcasts. I stay safe. Not that I do nothing wild and crazy. But I don’t chase death only to say that I have lived life to its fullest. Again, don’t overstate me when I say “chase death.” Nope, I’m not that kind. I have this belief that living life to the fullest is as simple as appreciating. But it does not mean no drinking, no going out, no gimmicks, and sleeping on time. But certainly, no smoking for me.
It’s having hard-drinking sessions, feeling the numbness start crawling on your head, puking, passing out, sneaking, having hangovers, remembering the crazy night and reminiscing about it days, months, or years later. It’s going out—with the best people, with the people you don’t prefer, going places where you dreamt going, places you didn’t know, creepy places, wonderful places, being out of place, but still appreciating. It does not mean no sleeping at all. It’s not sleeping when you need to listen to someone’s heart or heartache, to listen to your own heart, when you can’t sleep, when you don’t need to sleep, when you don’t need to sleep with someone, when you need to stay awake to witness the majestic in the finest or simplest of everything. But still having enough sleep.
It’s not being in different places every weekend. It’s looking forward to the weekend and spending it with the worthy, going to Sunday service, doing the Saturday chores, watching Friday-night movies, or simply reconnecting with friends over the phone, and for the chosen weekends to be spent someplace where your weekday actions take you. It’s not about being with everyone to be happy. It’s being with yourself and finding happiness in you. But it does not mean you get yourself out of anybody else, getting yourself out of love. Of course, love. Love like it’s always your first, they say. Fall, get hurt and love again. With the wrong person, the same person, or the right one, it’s up to you. It’s about making mistakes and still learning. And like I said, it’s plain no smoking.
I’d totally agree with and thank Haruki Murakami (as if my agreement would bother him and thanks to my sister who introduced his novels to me) for: “One of the privileges given to those who’ve avoided dying young is the blessed right to grow old.” True for me. I want to experience the sagging arms, the wrinkles, the cute grandchildren. I want to savor the great moments and conquer the problems growing old can offer me despite this quarter-life crisis—which I’m not sure it really is—I’m into right now.
Living life to the fullest is not doing everything, no. It’s as simple as appreciation. From Khalil Gibran’s “The Prophet,” I learned that you need not agree to appreciate. You may agree and appreciate; you may disagree but still appreciate. If we all can appreciate and do away with the disagreement by improving, it will all amount to us being who we are right now, and living the right now.
I need not test life to find what it has to offer. Just how life will teach me the hard lessons, it’s for me to discover and conquer—certainly in a safe way.
Kristel Bergantiños, 22, is an advisory associate at R.G. Manabat & Co.